Fit the Eighteenth
Fit the Eighteenth is the eighteenth episode or 'fit' in the radio series, and the sixth and last episode in the ''Tertiary Phase''. Story summary Zaphod Beeblebrox discovers Marvin plugged into the Krikkit central computer, which is the reason why all the Krikkit robots are becoming depressed, and also why they failed to kill Zaphod. Marvin show Zaphod the CCTV of Trillian talking to the Elders of Krikkit. Trillian explains to the Elders that Krikkit's history is a series of contrived coincidences and they are being manipulated into destroying the universe. She reminds them that their Ultimate Weapon will destroy them as well, and they ought to know that if they'd built it themselves instead of receiving instructions from Hactar, but they dismiss her on the grounds that she is not from Krikkit. A robot that is independent from Marvin detonates the bomb, but it turns out to be a dud. Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect, Zaphod, Trillian and Slartibartfast return to the Heart of Gold outside the dust cloud surrounding Krikkit. They notice that a pocket of gravity and atmosphere has opened up just outside the ship, and Arthur and Trillian enter it. There, they meet Hactar, who tells them that the Silastic Armorfiends failed to destroy him, although he was damaged greatly. He has been influencing the Krikkiters to try and fulfil the function the Silastic Armorfiends wanted him to - destroying the universe. He knows they have to disperse him, and they do. However, before they do, he says that he has fulfilled his function. The Heart of Gold has picked up a man named Prak, who was a witness at a trial who didn't want to give evidence. He was given a truth drug, but the Krikkit robots interrupted in order to steal the Argabuthon Sceptre of Justice, or the Perspex Pillar of Science and Reason. They jogged the person giving him the drug, and he was accidently given ten times the maximum dose. He was then told to tell "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth" - the worst thing they could have said. He had stopped telling it by the time the Heart of Gold picked him up, as there is not nearly as much of it as people imagine, and although he cannot remember much of it, finds the bits that he can remember hilarious - particularly frogs and Arthur Dent. They ask him if he knows the Ultimate Question to the Ultimate Answer, but he explains that knowledge of the Question and Answer are mutually exclusive - they can't both be known in the same universe. However, he does know the location of God's Last Message to his Creation, which he tells them, but he then dies because the constant laughing has destroyed his body. They return to Lord's Cricket Ground so that Arthur can return the Ashes. He is unable to find anyone to return them to, but decides to bowl the ball he caught in Fit the Fourteenth at the batsman standing by the wicket. While he is running, Ford realises that it isn't an England batsman, it's a Krikkit robot, and the ball is in fact the bomb, which is probably not a dud. Arthur finds himself unable to stop running, but fortunately he was never any good at bowling anyway and the bomb goes wide. Ford catches it, and the robot doesn't manage to hit it. Cast and characters *The Guide and narrator - William Franklyn *Arthur Dent - Simon Jones *Ford Prefect - Geoffrey McGivern *Zaphod Beeblebrox - Mark Wing-Davey *Trillian - Susan Sheridan *Marvin - Stephen Moore *Elder of Krikkit - Dominic Hawksley *Slartibartfast - Richard Griffiths *Eddie - Roger Gregg *Krikkiter - Bob Golding *Bowerick Wowbagger - Toby Longworth *Henry Blofeld - Himself *Fred Trueman - Himself *Prak - Chris Langham *Hactar - Leslie Phillips *Announcer - John Marsh Fit 25 Fit 6